Military Support Series – Military Spouse JD Network #MilitaryMonday #MilitarySupportSeries

Welcome to another Military Support Series post and Military Monday!! I love being able to share some of these great resources with you all. Hopefully these are things you might not normally have heard of and this is helping someone out there. Please make sure to click the “military resources” tab up top and spread the word. If you’re stopping by for the first time please let me know so I can return the favor; and as always my mailbox is always, always open if you have any questions.

What is Military Spouse J.D. Network?

The Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) was formed in Summer 2011 by two military spouses frustrated with the challenges of maintaining a legal career that seemed incompatible with the military lifestyle. They formed MSJDN to advocate for licensing accommodations for military spouses, including bar membership without additional examination, as well as network with other military spouses with JDs. Since 2011, the membership of MSJDN has swelled to over 750 members and supporters. In February 2012, with the support of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, the ABA House of Delegates adopted a resolution supporting changes in state licensing rules for military spouses with law degrees. MSJDN supports such a rule change in each jurisdiction.

Their Communications Director, Lori Volkman, happens to be a great bloggy friend of mine. We both share a heart for advocating for military families. She is pretty much totally awesome and I was lucky enough to spend some time with her in D.C. I know that she’s been working her rear off as a mom, a Naval Reserve spouse, and a Deputy Prosecutor in the State of Washington. She is how I came to hear about the J.D. Network and all they do. Jobs and Education, as it relates to the Military Spouse is such a huge topic of conversation these days, especially with Joining Forces making it a priority. Making it easier for spouses to maintain any credentials they need when moving between states would do a lot to ease the amount of stress that just comes with the territory as a military spouse. MSJDN is doing its part to accomplish this.

Because of the tireless work of the Spouses at MSJDN, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina and Texas have passed resolutions for admission of military spouse attorneys without examination. States considering these changes include: California, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Maryland. The purpose of this resolution is to aid military spouse in attorneys in a seamless transition when they are forced to move to a new state because of military orders. *make sure to visit the MSJDN website to read more about what they are doing and about the resolution itself.*

How can you get involved?

If you are a military spouse with a law degree I definitely 100% encourage you to join the Military Spouse JD Network. It will provide you a network of fellow spouses experiencing the same things you are, and you can help make a difference for spouses in your career field. If you simply want to help, or find out more, and get involved, please visit their membership page.